NASHVILLE – Early on, Tennessee native Dustin Ortiz made it clear what he thought about Willie Gates’ ground game, which wasn’t much.

Ortiz (15-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) gave Gates (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) no opportunities to use his long limbs and dominated on the mat before picking up a third-round stoppage.

The flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 73 event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It aired on FOX Sports 2 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FOX Sports 1.

The bout was waved off at the 2:58 mark of round three as Gates floundered under the pressure of Ortiz, who gained mount and rained down strikes until referee Mario Yamasaki saw enough.

Gates tried throughout the first two rounds to keep Ortiz at bay, but every time he picked up his legs for a kick, down he went. Ortiz quickly advanced on the mat, giving Gates the choice between mount position or back control, where he was forced to fight off several choke attempts.

Ortiz got back in the win column after a decision loss this past November to two-time title challenger Joseph Benavidez, while Gates drops to 1-2 in the UFC after a first-round stoppage of Darrell Montrague in July.

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